Collapsible sanitary lining for washbowls



Aug. 14, 1951 M. E. LANG 2,563,945

COLLAPSIBLE SANITARY LINVING FOR WASHBOWLS Filed April 9, 1946 74 INVENTOR .13 M ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 14, 1951 COLLAPSIBLE SANITARY LINING FOR WASHBOWLS A Maxwell Eichhorn Lang, New York, N. Y.

Application April 9, 1946, Serial No. 660,815

1 Claim. (01. 229-45) This invention relates to portable washbowls or to sanitary linings for washbowls.

Heretofore, washbowls made of a simple ply of waterproof paper or the like required the use of frames of wood or the like, to prevent their collapse.

The object of the invention is to provide a sanitary wash basin or washbowl lining which will be self-supporting and provide a close adherence to the standard basins or washbowls on trains, boats, airplanes, etc., and which when not in use may be conveniently packaged for ready transport as a travelling accessory.

The invention contemplates the rigidity obtainable by the reversing of a fold in a sheet of paper or the like, and the invention is particuraly applicable to paper of the glassine or cellophane or acetate type, which is waterproof and heatproof and which though pliable.

For this purpose, the invention consists in a container made of a spherically r elliptospherically shaped blank of flexible material, pressed into a rather deep bowl having longitudinal bendlines or creases bent inwardly of the outer surface of the bowl, thus having their flattened bites outwardly, such inwardly bent bendlines or creases giving a rigidity to the adjacent body portion of the container or bowl, whereby the bowl is self-supporting when holdis relatively stiff ing a liquid, and does not cause the liquid to be spilled by a partial collapse of any part of the wall of the bowl.

Such a bowl is conveniently shaped by first taking a blank of the desired sheet of material of general square or circular or elliptical shape, and subjecting it to a die action to form a hollow container shape, then folding along longitudlnal folds, the lateral portions, and then folding these over each other, along the longi tudinal medium line. If desired, the ends may be folded over each other. When desired to be used, unfolding takes place until the bowl lines with the parts bent over shown in full tions;

lines;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3--3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of Fig. 2 after the already folded parts are folded longitudinally upon each other;

Fig. 5 is a plan view showing the longitudinal ends overlappingly folded upon each other providing a package ready to be inserted into an envelope when used as a travelling accessory;

Figs. 6-to 12 are diagrammatic views of which Fig. 6 is a transverse section, as for instance taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2 with the lateral edge portions folded from full line to dotted line posi- Fig. '7 is a similar view with the bent over parts in full lines;

Fig. 8 is a similar view with the bent over parts shaped to conform to the body portion outline;

Fig. 9 is a similar view with the overlapping lateral portions moved towards each other to final position, which corresponds to the folded position shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 10 is a similar view showing how the compacted member shown in Fig. 9 is unfolded;

Fig. 11 shows the same parts when unfolded; and

Fig. 12 shows in full lines the bowl resulting from turning inside out the unfolded position of Fig. 11, the dotted line position corresponding to the contour shown in Fig. 11, the full line position being the up side down position of a transverse section of Fig. 1.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the various views.

Referring to the drawings, a fiat sheet or blank of suitable shape of glassine paper or cellophane is pressed between two concave-convex die members of spherical or elliptical shape generally resembling the contour as shown in Fig. 1, and this bowl-shaped blank is indicated by Hi in Fig. 2.

The longitudinal axis is preferably larger than the transverse axis. The outer parts H of the longitudinal sides are then bent in as shown in Fig. 6 in dotted lines, until the outer parts II are folded to the position shown in Fig. '7, the parts II having been bent around the hinge or fold lines l2 formed by the bending action. The length of the bent over parts II is selected so that their centrally disposed curved free edges almost touch along the longitudinal center line I3 (Figs. 2 and 3), providing diverging contours from the central part outwardly. The parts ll are then pressed inwardly to contact with the unbent parts [4 of the blank, whereby a concave shape of the parts H results, as shown in Fig. 8. Either one of these overlapping parts is then disposed over the other overlapping parts, the hinge or bend being at 13 (Fig. 9). One of the longitudinal ends of this longitudinally folded member (Fig. 4) is then bent over the other'longitudinal end, the: bend'lines' being at l6, as 'shown in Fig. 5, with the ends lT'overlapping. The compact is then ready to be inserted into an envelope (not shown), for com-= mercial distribution. 7

The importance of this manner of folding is that the bend or hinge portions have angular spaces outwardly disposed with" their bites -inwardly disposed. For instancepthe bite. 13a of the hinge l3 faces upwardly in Fig. 3, and the bites Ila formed by the parts II andld face inwardly, in the preliminary shape of the bowl. "ri'However, if the compact shown in ,Fig. 5 be unbent or unfolded to the position shown inFig. l0

' and then to the position shown inrFig. 11, the use of the same with water as'a washbowl would causeit to collapse, and the water would flow out or be spilled. More is necessary to provide a useful article. of, and making use of the resisting strength obtained from the counter bending of the fold or crease lines. Itis-necessa'ry'to press the angular portions which form the bites Ha and 13a inside out, so as to deflect the angular "portions into their opposed positions:" This is done by press- .ingthe hinge lines :2 in the direction of the arrows H0 (in Fig. 12) and substantially simul- I 'taneously pressing the hinge line l3, in the direction of the arrow 13c, and when this is done, the bowl shapedcontainer 20 is formed, the pressed in angular'parts acting to give a permanent shape to the container, so that when inverted from the" position shown in full lines in Fig; 12 and into the position shown in Fig. 1,

stays in the desired position'for useand during use. Should the bowl shaped container be desired to be used again at anotheraplace, the selfsustaining bowl is inverted toits'preliminary position, and the parts arelfolded in the manner described in'connection with Figs. 2 to 9, until the travelling compact of Fig. 5 is obtained.

The advantage of the improved bowl is that it :may be either folded tOJ thBTCOIlIDaCtITDIm of Fig. 5, or may be nested inieithe'rv the preliminary 4 shape of Fig. 12 of the final shape of Fig. 1, and that it requires no accessory parts of wood or the like to hold it in operative position. It is capable of one or more uses. It provides a, sanitary lining to the public wash bowls.

If desired the blank shown in the drawings may be provided with a peripheral margin or band which may be bent over circumferentially so that in the final use of the basin, this brim "like band extends substantially at'right angles to the downwardly extending basin, and this brim may be placed over the horizontal part of thQtStEHdfild basin in which the improved basin is-used as a liner. Generally speaking, the length of the brim would be about one inch. Such a brim is foldedupon the face of the blank before the blank is folded as described herein before.

I have described several forms of my invention, but obviously various changes may be made in the details disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention as set'out inxthe fol- This results from the recognition lowing claim.

I claim:

In a collapsible and convertible bowl in compact transportablefiat form, the combination of a crease having its bite extending inwardly of an elliptical bowl shaped-blank of glassirie like a paper, said crease extending along -.the major Till axis of the blank dividing the blank intowtwo sides, and a pair of curved creases'eachhaving its bite extending inwardly of said blank,.and one of said creases beingcentrally of each-side of the blank, forming marginal and innerzside portions, said curvedcreases'having their-opposite' longitudinal ends along the margin of the blank near the longitudinal ends ofthemajor axis crease, the inner surfaces of each marginal and inner side portions being infaying relationship'with each other, and the outer surfaces of the marginal side portions being infayingrelationship with other, whereby when said flat form unfolded to bowl Shape, and then inverted inside out to form a bowl, said major axis and curved creases have their'bites extending "outwardly to resist the collapse of the-bowl; and to i hold the bowl to a smooth interior'curved shape.

. M. EICHHORN. LANG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references'are of record in the --file of this patent:

. UNITED. STATES :PA'IENTS *Number Name Date -*3'78,212 Palmer Feb. 21,1888 1 430,195 "Reimers 'June. 17;1890 1,158,547 Parsons Fri-Nov. 2,215915 1,881,010 Windsor Oct. 4,115932 $048,968 Riley July 28', 1936 -,.2,2l'0,566 '-Bockman "?Aug. 6;:1'940 

